Munir Akram, Pakistan's representative to the United Nations, announced that his country is working to influence the Taliban's policy towards the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Akram noted that internal divisions within the Taliban has hindered the group from taking significant action against the TTP.
As reported by The Express Tribune on Monday, he explained that Pakistan is leveraging diplomacy at bilateral, regional, and global levels to shift the Taliban's approach to the TTP.
"It is your assumption that we cannot change their [Taliban] policy; it is not our assumption. Whether it is the Taliban or someone else, any government will try to change their policy through diplomacy, and this effort is ongoing", he said.
Islamabad regards the TTP as a terrorist organisation , and for the past three years, its primary demand from the Taliban government has been to curb the TTP's activities, an action that has yet to be taken by the Taliban.
Akram emphasised that despite Islamabad's efforts, internal conflicts within the Taliban government have prevented any serious measures against the Pakistani Taliban. He noted that Pakistan is trying to persuade the Taliban that the presence of the TTP in Afghanistan is detrimental not only to Pakistan and the region but also to the Taliban themselves.
He also called for an international consensus to prioritise counterterrorism in Afghanistan. Akram further stated that any future recognition of the Taliban and the lifting of sanctions would be contingent on the group's actions against terrorism.
Nearly three years ago, on August 15, Pakistan celebrated the Taliban's victory in Afghanistan, expecting the rise of a government aligned with Islamabad in Kabul. However, in the years since, this has not materialised, and according to Pakistani officials, relations between Kabul and Islamabad have reached their lowest point.
